City planners set the stage for two new apartment projects in Eastown

View full sizeThis lot with an abandoned car wash and the parking lot across the street would become the site of new apartments if city planners change the zoning requirements for Orion Construction Co, the project's developer.Courtesy of Grand Rapids Planning Department

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The City Planning Commission on Thursday took the first step toward rezoning two abandoned parcels that could lead to two new apartment projects with 36 units on the edge of the Eastown Business District.

Orion Construction Co. hopes to build a 20-unit, three-story apartment complex on the site of an abandoned car wash at 1400 Wealthy St. SE and a second 16-unit apartment complex across the street at 1415 Wealthy St. SE.

But before they can put that many apartments on the two parcels, Orion needs the city to change its zoning for the neighborhood and get a requirement that mandates retail uses on the ground floor.

The company has asked the city to waive its requirement for retail on the ground floor in “transit oriented districts” if a special use permit is granted by the Planning Commission.

If that request is approved, Orion plans to ask the city to change the zoning for the two parcels to a “transit oriented district,” that will allow denser housing. The two lots currently are zoned as a “traditional business district,” which requires less density for apartments.

The Planning Commission’s Aug. 8 approval came in the form of a recommendation to the full City Commission, which must approve the zoning language and zoning designation before Orion can move ahead on its project.

Michael Corby, an architect who represented Orion’s request to the Planning Commission, said they hope to get through the regulatory hurdles and start construction by the end of this year.

If the changes are approved, Corby said they plan to install townhouse-style porches and entries for the ground-level apartments on the three-story buildings. Adding retail to the development would exacerbate their parking problems, he said.

The planners approved the request despite mixed reviews from neighbors, some of whom argued the two lots form an important gateway to the Eastown Business District that should be include retail developments.

Courtney Myer-Keaton, secretary of the Eastown Community Association, said her group opposes the lack of retail on two of the last remaining developable lots in the neighborhood.

“We do need more apartments, but we can achieve that by having first floor retail,” she said.

Eastown resident Michael Farage said he favored the development because it meets a need for more apartments in the neighborhood.